The Use of Puppetry for Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention Among Mi’Kmaq Youth

The authors examine the main factors related to suicide among aboriginal youth & ways to redress what many consider the most important of these, discontinuity with heritage. A group of Mi’Kmaq elders & an interdisciplinary group of academicians blended traditional Mi’Kmaq knowledge & western scientific knowledge to develop a strategy to address such discontinuity. Puppets made from natural forest products were used to promote culture, language, & history. This article describes the strategy, its rationale, & its relevance for, & application to, holistic nursing. (34 refs.)